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Enormous
humanitarian needs in Bam one week after the earthquake 2 January 2004 A huge Red Cross Red Crescent relief operation is in full swing in the stricken Iranian city of Bam to prevent deaths from hunger and cold as night-time temperatures plummet below zero and thousands remain homeless. The streets of Bam are lined with 92,000 tents distributed by the Iranian Red Crescent and thousands of homeless are keeping warm with the help of 200,000 blankets, 56,000 items of clothing and 51,000 kerosene heaters which have been supplied to a population which is traumatized by the December 26 earthquake and continuing after-shocks. In addition, over 400,000 ready-to-eat meals have been provided along with bread, rice, sugar and other food items. “The biggest health challenge we are facing at the moment is the threat posed by the cold, which means that pneumonia and respiratory tract infections will increase, particularly among vulnerable children,” said Dr. Richard Munz, health co-ordinator in Bam for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. A 250-bed referral hospital provided by the German, Finnish and Norwegian Red Cross is expected to receive its first patients today and will be fully operational in the coming days in order to meet the needs of 250,000 people who were previously served by two public hospitals destroyed in the earthquake. For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact: In Bam: Denis McClean, Head, Media service - Tel: + 882 162 111 5487 Rana Sidani, Press Officer - Tel: + 882 162 111 5487 In Geneva: Marie-Françoise Borel, Press Officer - Tel: + 41 22 730 43 46 / + 41 79 416 38 81 The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. © International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |
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